It was a great day on the green! PEACE, Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters Program hosted its 3rd Annual Golf Scramble at the Drumlins Country Club in Syracuse, NY.
We want to extend a big THANK YOU to everyone who made it out for the event – donors, volunteers, and players alike – your support is so appreciated!
Syracuse, New York, July 19, 2023 – Onondaga County Department of Adult and Long Term Care Services has awarded grants to senior centers across the City of Syracuse. Awardees include PEACE, Inc.’s Frank DeFrancisco Eastwood Community Center, SAGE Upstate, Huntington Family Centers, Dunbar Center, Westcott Community Center, and Syracuse Northeast Community Center. Funds are awarded to provide critical capital repairs, such as roof and kitchen updates and HVAC systems. The formal announcement was made at the PEACE, Inc.’s Frank DeFrancisco Eastwood Community Center.
County funds will allow the PEACE, Inc. Frank DeFrancisco Eastwood Community Center to continue safe and consistent delivery of senior programming. More specifically, funds will support 1) Asbestos abatement, 2) Masonry repairs on the top of each of the building’s 5 exterior walls and the stair tower, and 3) Roof demolition and replacement. The agency expects to make these necessary repairs within the next year.
The Center provides an array of senior enrichment and socialization activities for area residents, including Bingo and Card Games, Lunch n Learns, day trips, movie days, tablet trainings, and more. Through the agency’s Senior Nutrition Program, the Center provides congregate meals, 4 days a week. Additionally, the Center houses the agency’s Foster Grandparent Program, which provides seniors with the opportunity to earn a small stipend and share their knowledge by mentoring at-risk children.
For more information, please contact Todd Goehle, Community Engagement Director, at todd.goehle@peace-caa.org.
We’re so proud of our clients! Today we’d like to say CONGRATULATIONS to Jazmin Valdez for opening her NYS Registered Family Daycare Business, Beautiful Flowers Day Care, on 1/23/2023!
The Early Childhood Career Pathways program gives people in our community the opportunity to receive education, employment, and funds to open their own Family Daycare business within the field of Early Childhood.
We are so proud of the 13 clients who have utilized our Early Childhood Career Pathways program and achieved their licensing and credentialing goals! They each received a Client Recognition Pack to honor their commitment and hard work. This bag contains items like pens, notebooks, a frame for their official license or credential, and even a reusable water bottle!
Here are a few clients who have received Recognition Packs: Lakeva Williams opened her Registered Family Daycare doors on 6/7/2023; Timothy Gardner earned his Preschool Child Development Associate credential on 5/27/2022; Amina Sharif earned her Preschool Child Development Associate credential on 5/27/2022; and Michelle Stark earned her Infant Child Development Associate credential on 12/16/2022.
Congratulations to all of the clients who have achieved their goals!
Today we’d like to highlight the Transportation Department and a number of its employees who ensure the safety of our staff, clients, and the community at large.
Working with PEACE, Inc. for seven years now, Lori Lovine serves as the Head Start Driver Support Specialist. In her role, Lori opens the Transportation Building every morning for staff and pursues a number of activities to ensure the safety of staff and children. Each day, Lori dispatches the Head Start Buses, creates passenger checklists for drivers and assists them with their bus routes, as well as produces daily vehicle inspection reports, seating charts, bus stop safety reviews, and safety drills. Lori also relays important information from parents to both bus drivers and the respective Head Start sites. Lori enjoys working at the agency because her coworkers are easy to get along with. Even though she works part-time, she is a vital piece of the department and ensuring that both communication and safety are prioritized.
Next, Barbara Titus is a Head Start driver for the James Street Head Start location and has been a part of the agency for 3 years. In her position, Barbara transports children and bus monitors to her assisted Head Start location. She has been commended for always keeping safety a priority and being flexible with driving assignments, especially due to the pandemic and current staffing shortage. For these reasons and more, Barbara is another vital piece for ensuring the success of the Head Start and Transportation Departments. Barbara says she enjoys working because “It’s a small community and I like the people, I work with”.
Last but not least, Tim Secrest has been PEACE, Inc.’s Transportation Mechanic for 13 years; he has been commended for keeping the agency’s buses safe and has maintained a 100 percent DOT pass rate with NYS. As the mechanic, Tim maintains the fleet of PEACE, Inc. vehicles, including Head Start buses and other company vans. On a typical day, he works on 3 to 4 vehicles a day. Like his fellow Transportation staff members, Tim worked hard throughout COVID to monitor health and safety regulations and to keep the agency’s buses compliant.
